Psych Quiz 4: Personality, Disorders, and Treatments

PSY-0001 Tufts (textbook definitions)

psychodynamic

movement of psychological energy within a person; freud’s psychodynamic theory

id

the part of the psyche that contains innate instincts and drives, often seeking immediate gratification.

libido

psychic energy associated with sexual drives and desires

ego

mediates the id (instincts) and societal demand to produce socially acceptable behavior

superego

the voice of conscience; morality & similar to parental authority. guides moral behavior

defense mechanisms

unconscious strategies that deny/distort reality to protect one from conflict/anxiety

repression

an idea/memory/emotion is blocked from consciousness due to trauma

projection

attributing one’s own unacceptable feelings to someone else; projecting feelings about being gay to be homophobic

displacement

wrongfully directing personal feelings toward others who have no involvement

regression

reverting to a previous phase of psychological development as a response to anxiety

denial

refusal to admit a situation has/is occured/ing

psychosexual stages

sexual energy matures as a child grows older

oral stage

babies experience the world through the mouth

adults seek oral gratification through smoking, eating, or nail-biting

anal stage

toilet training & control of bodily wastes
adults can be “anal”; overbearing OR the opposite, disorganized

phallic (oedipal) stage/oedipus complex

wishing to be with a different-sex parent and get rid of the same-sex parent
think of oedipus rex

latency stage

nonsexual & focused on conflict w/ parents, the world, and self

genital stage

puberty → adult sexuality; personality shaped by ego preparation/strength to balance id and superego

collective unconcious

the stories, myths, and figures told across cultures are interrelated

archetypes

the universal memories/stories shared across time
ex: images, tales, legends, religious faith

validity

a test must measure what it is supposed to measure

reliability

a test should yield consistent results across circumstances & time

myers-briggs type indicator (MBTI)

classic personality test; very unreliable

minnesota multiphasic personality inventory (MMPI)

hundreds of true/false statements for clinical assessment of anxiety, obsessiveness, conduct problems, social discomfort, paranoia, etc.

objective tests (inventories)

standardized questionnaires that evaluate multiple aspects of personality
made to identify traits & mood awareness

factor analysis

identifying clusters of personality scores that are highly correlated and fall under certain traits

big 5 (OCEAN)

openness: being open to new experiences
conscientiousness: being responsible and reliable

extraversion: being outgoing & sociable, enjoying being the center of attention
agreeableness: being good-natured, cooperative, and forgiving

neuroticism: extent of anxiety & feeling negatively (guilt/resentment)

temperament

dispositions to responding to the environment

reactivity, soothability, and positive/negative emotionality

heritability

how the variability of a trait can be attributed to genetic differences

social cognitive learning theory

people acquire central traits from learning history and resulting expectations

reciprocal determinism

temperament, habits, and beliefs influence social response, friends, and situations––situations influence beliefs and habits, rewarding some and extinguishing others

nonshared environment

the unique chance experiences that lead people who share genes to form different temperaments

individualist vs. collectivist culture

individualist; independence takes precedence over the needs of the group

collectivist: group harmony takes precedence over individual’s wishes

humanist psychology

the emphasis of human growth, achivement, and fulfillment

self-actualization

reaching a life that is meaningful, challenging, and satisfying

unconditional positive regard

love and support for the people we are without strings attatched

existentialism

inevitable challenges are the search for the meaning of life & taking responsibility for our actions

life narrative approach to personality

the story of each person and their development overtime explains ourselves and makes meaning of past experiences